Thestrals
by 5MinuteMiracles
Summary: The rush of the floo in the night, and Harry is up and aware. Things are being moved downstairs, and someone is creeping up the stairs. The Potter's wait nervously in their room. Who's in their house in the middle of the night? What's happened? One-shot. Read & Review. UPDATED STORYLINE**


**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. **

The night was young, but the moon lay high in the January heavens. An owl twittered in the distant trees, but the inhabitants of Number 12 Grimmauld place lay sound asleep.

The baby shuffled in his blankets, causing them to roll down his body, and curve around him. Oblivious to the cold, Albus Potter slept on, clasping the top of the discarded blanket, his fingers curling to appease the fabric.

Albus' older brother, James, lay soundly in between his two parents, their hands linked over the top of his slowly rising chest. James wasn't usually allowed to sleep with his parents, and he knew it. However, tonight, he had crept in at quarter to 12, and his parents didn't have the heart to move him. The lull of the families breathing created a quiet sort of whisper that wound its way around the room, the calmness of the moonlit dark following its lead.

The family owl fluttered to a halt outside the window, gently tapping it with his beak, before discarding the dead frog on the outside windowsill. It swayed on the ledge; its dark brown eyes reproachful about being left in the cold. It hooted indignantly, before leaving its post, and flying back off into the night.

Everything was silent, and everything was normal, until the sound of rushing wind broke the midnight drowsiness. Harry Potter's eyes snapped open, and he instantly began to scramble out of bed, his fingers groping for his wand in the pitch black.

"Wassgoingon?" Ginny murmured, feeling her husband move beside her.

"I thought I heard…" Harry muttered, glancing at the darkened doorway.

"What?" Ginny persisted, following his stare, and gazing at the corridor.

"I thought I heard someone floo." Harry explained, and Ginny's eyes widened.

"_What?" _She whispered; the tone of the word much different to what it had been seconds prior.

"Where's Al?" Harry hissed, clambering out of bed to retrieve the baby. He reached into the Moses basket, and cradled the baby close to his chest, all the while staring at the doorway with sharp eyes. He made his way back to the bed, and placed Albus safely in his mother's arms. He was momentarily distracted, but was brought back to the room with a jerk as they heard the soft, scraping sound of an armchair being moved across the carpet.

"Stay here," Harry instructed, but Ginny grabbed his arm.

"No! What the hell are you doing?" Ginny hissed, accidently jostling the baby. He awoke with a start, and opened his eyes, a glare reminiscent of his mother etched upon his tiny features.

"What, you think I'm letting whatever's out there come in here?" Harry replied, turning his gaze from Al, and back on the door; his eyes narrowed in a determined way.

"Ron and George probably left some unamusing joke behind last night!" Ginny shot back, slightly louder than she had intended.

James woke up, rubbing his eyes groggily with his fist, and promptly silencing both of his parents.

"Mornin'?" he mumbled, making Harry and Ginny share an identical glance.

"Go back to sleep, Jamie," Ginny said calmly, but James shook his head.

"Mummy and Daddy awake." He replied, his eyes opening wide. Harry sighed, and stood up straight, starting to make his way to the door.

"It's probably nothing, Harry." Ginny whispered, and Harry nodded.

Their eyes found one another, and an unspoken wave of love washed over the both of them. Harry turned away, and muttered a quiet 'Lumos'; the light at the end of his wand creating a bubble of light in the obscure darkness.

He pushed the door open, sliding out, before shutting it quietly behind him.

The wand light lit up the hallway, creating eerie shadows on the walls, but Harry, having done years of Auror stealth training, payed no attention to them. Instead, he kept his eyes focused on the stairs, in which a low creaking could be heard from.

He kept quiet, wanting to catch whoever it was before they ran away, but as the creaking got closer, closer to his family, he decided it would be better to make his presence known.

"Who's there?" he said calmly, listening for a response.

"Harry!" a voice cried, "It's me! It's _me!"_

"Teddy!?" Harry asked incredulously, quickening his pace.

Teddy Lupin, clad in his Chudley Cannon's Pyjama's, stood in the 11th stair, his eyes wide when he saw his Godfather standing there, wand lit, and poised.

"Teddy!" Cried Harry in abatement, before falling too his knees to embrace the 7-year-old, "You almost gave me and Ginny a heart attack!"

"Sorry," murmured Teddy, nuzzling into Harry's shoulder, "But you've always said that if something's happened, I need to call you."

Harry drew back, looking Teddy up and down. His hair was his natural sandy brown, and his eyes close to black.

"Teddy, what happened?" Harry said quietly, and Teddy looked to the floor.

"Teddy-" Harry repeated, but Teddy looked back up, tears springing to his eyes.

"It's Gran!" he cried, "I went to ask her for a glass of juice – it was really high up! – and I called her name, I _shook _her, and she wouldn't wake up!"

Harry hugged the boy close, letting him cry into his shoulder.

"It's ok, Ted," Harry said comfortingly, "You did the right thing."

"I don't know what to do," Teddy confessed, tears pouring freely down his face, "And I left her all alone!"

"Hey," Harry said, "It'll be fine, Ok?"

Teddy nodded, wiping his eyes with his sleeve, and letting his Godfather lead him up the stairs.

Harry opened the door, and visible relief flooded over Ginny's features.

"Oh thank merlin," Ginny sighed, "When I couldn't hear anything, I thought-"

"It's fine," Harry said, interrupting her, and silently indicating the sad child holding his hand.

"What's going on?" Ginny said curiously, eyeing Teddy in confusion.

"Teddy!" screeched James, clambering over to hug the boy of whom he thought of as an older brother.

"Wait a second, James." Harry said, grabbing, James around the tummy, and lifting him up, "Give Ted some space."

"I don't mind," Teddy shrugged, "He can hug me if he wants."

James' face lit up as he turned defiantly to look at his father, who still had a firm grasp on him.

"No," Harry said resolutely, "He should really be sleeping."

"No sleep." James said happily, tilting his head to grin toothily at Harry.

"I didn't know what to do." Repeated Teddy, making Ginny look even more enquiring, "I didn't _want_ to leave her."

"Listen to me, Ted," Harry said, lifting Teddy up onto the edge of the bed. James squirmed in Harry's other arm, and whimpered to be free, "You're being incredibly brave, ok? Few 7-year olds can get up in the middle of the night and floo to a dark house."

"It was creepy." Shuddered Teddy, his bottom lip quivering. James stopped moving, and looked at Teddy, wary.

"It's Andromeda, isn't it?" Ginny whispered, so only her husband could hear. He nodded in reply, absent mindedly stroking a hand through Al's feather soft hair.

"Teddy, you sad?" James asked, but Teddy ignored him.

"Can you come over and help?" He said quietly, silently begging.

"Of course," Harry nodded, "We'll go now."

A tear dropped down from Teddy's left eye, as he slid off the bed, onto the floor, looking helpless. Harry glanced at his wife, who nodded, taking James from his father's firm grip.

"I'll be over in the morning." She told him as Harry leant in for a kiss, "I'll let you be with him for a while."

"We need to stop expecting the worst," Harry murmured against her lips, brushing Al's temple with his thumb, "It's a Potter trait."

"You reckon?" Ginny said, smiling slightly.

"Oh I know so," Harry grinned back, giving a gentle kiss to Albus' forehead, "See you in the morning, yes?"

"Yes, keep him safe."

"Always."

Harry pulled back, and ruffled James' hair in farewell.

"I'll see you in the morning, Jamie." Harry said, extending a hand for Teddy.

"And Teddy?" James asked apprehensively, peering at his godbrother.

"Yes, Teddy too." Harry nodded, wiping a tear away from Teddy's dark eyes. He stood up, and together, they walked down the stairs to the fireplace.

"Did you move that chair, Ted?" Harry asked, remembering the soft scrape of the armchair earlier that night. Teddy grinned a little.

"I crashed into it."

"You're so clumsy, you know, just like your Mum." Harry said fondly, taking a heap of floo powder. Teddy smiled, happy to be compared next to the Mother he had never known, and gripped Harry's hand tighter.

"Right, let's go," Harry announced, before releasing the floo power, and yelling "Andromeda Tonks' house!"

The pair whirled away in a wave of green smoke, and reappeared in Andromeda's living room. The house was quiet, and the moon cast silvery light on the squashy green armchairs beside the door.

"Granma's in her room, I assume?" Harry asked Teddy, and he nodded, nervous. Harry pulled out his wand, and turned the lights on in the house. Teddy blinked twice, allowing his eyes to get used to the light. Harry glanced down at Teddy, and rubbed his thumb across the back of Teddy's palm, giving him the smallest amount of comfort he could.

They reached the stairs, and slowly went up, anticipating what they would see beyond the doorway to the left. Harry pushed it open, and saw Andromeda Tonks tucked neatly under the covers, her greying brown hair bunching up beneath her right ear. Harry let go of Teddy, and rushed to the woman's side. He pulled her hand out from under the duvet, and placed his thumb over hers. He was pleased to feel a slow steady thump, which indicted that all was not yet lost. He gently placed the back of his hand near her mouth and nose, and felt the warm steady flow of breath falling upon him.

"She's ok, Teddy," Harry breathed, "Maybe a little ill, but she's alive."

"I thought she was dead." Teddy whimpered, scampering forwards to feel his Gran's pulse for himself.

"I'll send a patronus to St. Mungo's, and they'll tell us what's the matter." Harry explained, after directing Teddy's small hand to the pulse point.

"She'll be ok, though?" Teddy asked, his ingrown fear making itself known, "She's not going to die, is she?" he added with a gulp.

"Everyone dies eventually, Teddy, but I promise you this," Harry said, bending down to Teddy's level, "Whatever happens, know you are _so so _loved. My me, Ginny, Nanny Molly, Grandad Arthur, all your Aunties and Uncles, James-" Harry laughed a little at this, "James _adores _you, Teddy."

"I love him too." Teddy said quietly, "But Grandma's different. She's –"

"I know, Teddy, but she'll be ok, I promise." Harry said firmly, hugging Teddy tightly, "And you're _never _going to be able to see Thestrals."

"What are –" Teddy wondered, by Harry put a finger to his lips.

"That's another story," Harry replied quietly, straightening up, and swiftly sending his stag to the wizarding hospital.

They both went back to Andromeda's side, and stayed with her until the healers appeared with a pop at the front door.


End file.
